LAMBI THE CALL OF FREEDOM Performs At The Center At West Park's Evolution Festival September 21- 23

THE CENTER AT WEST PARK (CWP), the Upper West Side's cultural hub for diverse, engaging, and boundary-pushing performing arts, announces the performances of Lambi "The Call of Freedom, a new interactive performance from Franck Muhel Dance Ensemble, as part of the 2023 Evolution Festival, a multi-disciplinary performance festival featuring three original works-in-progress of theater, dance, and music by NYC-based artists. Lambi runs September 21-23, 2023, with performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30pm, with an additional performance on Saturday at 2pm. Tickets are available at www.centeratwestpark.org/evolution-festival-2023

Lambi is the journey of a determined slave who escapes a plantation in the West Indies in search of justice. Through his long haul, he travels from various Caribbean islands and reaches New York, the land of freedom. This rebirth of his soul consecrates a singular destiny which is also that of humanity. In the end, dignity, courage and strength prevail and are the framework of this spectacular show.

The Lambi (creole word for conch shell), transformed into a wind instrument, was used during slavery for unification, communication and the slave revolution. Choreographer Franck Muhel, in memory of enslaved women and men of these painful and historic times, invites us to travel via music and dance through the islands of the Caribbean, showcasing traditional French Caribbean folkloric dances (Mazurka, Bele, Gwoka, Afro-Cuban) passing through Cuba and bringing the evolution and journey to what we know today as Mambo and Salsa dance.

Lead artist Franck Muhel is the Executive Producer of Salsa the Celebration, an all-star and music extravaganza at the Manhattan Center with Eddie Torres The Mambo King, Mitch Frohman, Frankie Morales among others, sponsored by American Airlines and Martinique with charitable contributions going to Haitian earthquake victims. Franck has performed on stage with internationally acclaimed orchestras including: The Mambo Legends Orchestra (formerly of Tito Puente), Eddie Torres and his Mambo Kings Orchestra, Orlando Marin Orchestra, Mitch Frohman and the Bronx Horns, Bobby Sanabria, The Jimmy Bosch Orchestra, The Latin Jazz Quartet, and at New York's major venues including Lincoln Center, The Apollo Theater, Manhattan Center, Lehman Center, Summer stage, Teatro Latea. He was featured as a dancer in the movie In The Heights.

CWP's 2023 Evolution Festival is curated by artists Nick Browne, Haruna Lee, and Sloan Pearson, and features new works by Christian Flynn, Franck Muhel Dance Ensemble, and Sheer Spectacle. The festival will run at The Center at West Park from September 14 to 30, 2023. The festival is line produced by Madelyn Paquette, stage managed by Jamie Chen and Dailee Morrone, and production managed by Merie McCown.

The 2023 Evolution Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

The Center at West Park is located at 165 West 86th Street, at the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and 86th Street, with access to the 86th street stops on the 1, C, and B subway lines. For more information and tickets, visit www.centeratwestpark.org/evolution-festival-2023.

The Center at West Park (CWP) is a secular, 501(c)3 not-for-profit community performing arts center based in the historic West Park Presbyterian Church, a New York City landmark on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The mission of the Center at West Park is to build a more inclusive and intergenerational community with equal access to the arts for New York City. From its Upper West Side neighborhood location, CWP presents diverse, engaging, and boundary-pushing artistic and cultural programming; provides affordable performance, rehearsal, and event space to artists and community members; develops mentorship programs connecting established and emerging artists; and preserves the West Park Presbyterian Church's historic edifice. CWP aims to create and maintain a vibrant cultural hub, a forum for conversations and connections that transcend barriers to address the important issues facing our society today, to promote social responsibility, and to build an inclusive and diverse community.

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